Create and configure a subscriber list

In Acumbamail you can create and configure lists of subscribers who receive your email campaigns. In this article we explain how to create a list of subscribers, how to import and export email addresses and the different configuration and customization possibilities at your disposal.

Create a subscriber list

From the main Newsletter page click on the Lists button, from there you can create and manage your subscriber lists.

Once inside, click on Create list and fill out the information that the form requests.

• You must give the list a name, this name will be public for your subscribers if they decide at any time to modify their data. However, once your list is created, in List settings you can determine a public name and a private name for your list.
• Likewise, your subscribers will see the email associated with the list if they decide to change their data at any given point .

You have already created your first list, now you can go to the next step of the tutorial that will explain how to add subscribers to your list.

Import subscribers to a list

Once you've created a list,you can import subscribers to it by going to the list menu, selecting the list, and clicking the Subscribers tab.

Click the Add button and you will see three different import options.

From a CSV / Excel file:

A CSV file is a text document that represents data in the form of a table and is the standard file type for sharing databases. In this type of file, columns are represented by commas or semicolons. Commas or semicolons delimit the fields in our list and each row in a CSV file forms a complete record with the data of a subscriber. It is a type of file that can be easily exported from practically any format where you have your database hosted.

If your list of subscribers is an Excel file, you do not need to export it as csv , but you can directly upload the file. The steps to follow are:

1. Select CSV/Excel file as the import method.
2. Then, add the field divider of your file, in Excel files it's always a semicolon (;). If your contact list has a grouping character within the same field, you'll need to point it out. Suppose one of your fields contains a character used to separate fields, for example ",". If one of the fields contained that character, for example "1342.34" it would take it as if they were two different fields. To do this you must create a character, for example ";" and put it before and after the value that you do not want to be considered as a field divider, for example ; 1342,34; If your list has a multi-option list field, you'll need to indicate the options separated with commas, so you'll need to use a grouping character. For example, if the field for a subscriber should be "Option 1, Option 2," and the fields are separated by commas, you could enter it as Option 1, Option 2;
3. Attach the file and click Add.
   
   
   
   
4. How to get a csv file:

• From Google Contacts: From your contacts in Gmail: More> Export> Google CSV format (to import into a Google account)
• From Microsoft Outlook: File> Import / Export> Choose "Comma Separated Values (Windows)> Choose the list> Name the file

Once you have your csv file well formed, you will have to follow these steps:

1. Select CSV/Excel file as the import method.
2. Then, add your file's field divider, a period or semicolon, and the separator character between changes if there is one
3. Finally, check the option of The first line determines the name of the fields if your list already has the name of each field included in the columns, for example, Name , Email ...
4. Attach the file and click Add.

In some cases the start of the import may take a few minutes, as the file is preprocessed to obtain its encoding. UTF-8 is recommended.

How to update existing subscriber data:

You can overwrite the data of your subscribers already added to a list by doing a new import. The steps you have to follow are the following:

1. Select the list where you want to modify the data
2. Click on the Subscribers tab and then on the blue Add subscribers button
3. Click CSV / Excel File
4. Attach your file, select the field divider and grouping character between fields if there is one
5. Click the tick Update existing subscriber data
6. Import by clicking Add

Manually:

You can add subscribers one by one. To do this, you must click on the Subscribers tab and then Enter manually. A form is displayed where you can enter the subscriber's email. If you already have fields configured for your list, you will also need to add the corresponding values for each field.

From a Mailchimp list

You can easily migrate subscribers from your MailChimp lists to an Acumbamail one. To do this, you only need to obtain the Api Key that Mailchimp provides you and then choose the list you want to import.

From a Google Sheets spreadsheet

You can easily import subscribers from your Google Sheets spreadsheets to Acumbamail. To do this, you will have to select Google Sheets as the import method.

The first time you log in, a popup will automatically open for you to choose the Google account you want to link and grant the required access permissions to your spreadsheets.

Please note that you can link more than one Google account. At any time, if you need to link a new account, you must click on the "Add an account" button. This will open the Google popup again that allows you to enter your account, log in and grant the required permissions.

Once your account is linked, you must click on the "Choose a sheet" button.

This will open a popup showing all the spreadsheets located in your Google Drive. You must select here the spreadsheet from which the information will be retrieved. Remember that if the spreadsheet you select contains multiple sheets, only the information from the first one is retrieved.

If the popup shows the following error, it will be because from your Google account you have withdrawn the permissions previously given to Acumbamail from here . In that case, even if your account already appears in the list of linked accounts, you must click "Add an account" again. This way, you can re-grant the permissions required to execute this action.

You will be able to see the name of the selected Google Sheet. In case you want to select a different spreadsheet, just click the "Choose a sheet" button again. It cannot be imported from several sheets at the same time (since the column format could be different) so, if, having chosen a spreadsheet, you later choose another, the first one will be replaced.

Having already selected the spreadsheet, all that remains is for you to mark or not the checkbox that allows you to ignore the information of duplicate subscribers (already present in the list) or take it into account to update their fields. All you need to do is click the "Add" button at the top right to confirm the action.

Similar to other types of import methods, you can choose the columns that are associated with the fields of your subscriber list. Once confirmed, the imported information will be added to your list in the form of subscribers.

Export subscribers

On certain occasions it is necessary to export the subscribers that we have in a list. To carry out this task we must enter our list and click on the Subscribers tab. You can export your subscribers by status. Select the type of subscriber you want to export from the drop-down menu: active (openers + non-openers), openers, non-openers, unsubscribes , hard bounces and complaints .

• Active Subscribers: Subscribers you can send to, includes both openers and non-openers
• Opening subscribers: those who have opened at least one of the campaigns that you have associated with that list
• Non-opening subscribers: They haven't opened any campaigns you've associated with that list (or haven't received any yet)
• Inactive Subscribers: Subscribers who, for various reasons, cannot receive your submissions. This category includes casualties, complaints and hard bounces

Once you have selected the type of subscriber you want to export, in the button with the ellipsis ellipsis, double-click on Export assets (or the state you have selected).

Click Download once it is generated and you will get a list of subscribers in CSV format.

Set up a list of subscribers

Fields

To edit the fields of our list or that will have the form that we associate with that list, you have to go to the given list and click on the Fieldstab. Click the blue Add Fieldsbutton . You can create different types of fields according to your needs:

• Text
• Checkbox: t will have a yes or no value
• List: allows different limited answer options that will appear as a drop-down menu, for example: language field, options: Spanish and English. The list can allow only one option, or several. To do this, use the switch that appears below the Options field.
• Whole number
• Decimal number
• Date: it is very important to follow the standard DD / MM / YY HH: MM or DD / MM / YYYY HH: MM
• Long text
• IP

The fields in a list will allow you to customize values for each subscriber at the campaign level, both in the template or body of the message, and in the subject of the campaign. You'll also be able to create segments within a list to target.

Email marketing campaigns come with a default link so that the subscriber can modify the data on the list. Therefore, you have the option that the fields you configure are visible and editable by the subscriber, hidden or visible but not editable.

Create segments within a list

You can create segments (subgroups) within a list to which you can send a campaign later. To create a segment within a list, select the specific list and click on the Segments tab. Click New Segment.

You can create segments based on three parameters:

• The fields you've set up in the list

You can set one or more conditions based on the fields you've previously set in the list. The condition for creating the segment can be that all the fields set are met or that at least one of them is met and you can set it in the Send to those who meet > All or Any of.

If the field you want to segment your subscribers by is a multi-option list, you'll need to make sure that the options you enter are identical to those for subscribers. To indicate several options, you must enter the desired options separated by commas, and use the "contains" filter.





• By behavior of subscribers in campaigns sent to that list

You can create a segment to send to a subgroup of the list based on how it behaved with a particular campaign, for example, a segment of subscribers who didn't open an X campaign. To do this, select Behavior as the condition.

• By subscriber quality

Also, you can create a segment within the list taking into account the quality of 0 to 100 of the subscriber based on the interaction they have with your shipments (to know more about email marketing and leadscoring see our blog guide). Select quality as a condition and set the values you want. Remember that you can combine these three types of segmentation conditions with each other.

To export a segment, click on the ellipsis button next to each one and select the Preview segment option.

Cleaning lists, Facebook audiences and other advanced features

With the PRO and Enterprise plans you will have access to premium functionalities for list management:

- Facebook audiences to connect lists or segments to Facebook custom audiences to create specific ads for your subscribers on Facebook and Instagram.

- Analyze the quality of a list (if there are emails included in spam traps or non-existent).

- Automatically remove subscribers who do not meet certain parameters (for example, who have not opened a campaign for more than six months) with the list optimization tool.

- Calculate the best time slot for sending emails at the account level

You can see all the advanced features included in the PRO and Enterprise plans here.

View the import history of a list

You can check the imports you've made to a list over time by accessing the specific list, clicking on the Subscribers tab, selecting the button with the ellipsis, and finally View import history.  

In this section you can also see in detail the import errors that have occurred in the process, the most common are:

• If you have a free account, you can only import a maximum of 250 subscribers from all your lists. If your list exceeds that number, the import will fail before reaching the 250 imported email addresses
• If an email has already been imported previously, it will appear as an error so that there are no duplicates in the list
• Your row is not validly formatted or empty

How to find and edit a specific subscriber

If you want to see the specific data of a subscriber, the campaigns they've received, and what status they have (if the subscriber has unsubscribed, you'll also be able to see from what specific campaign), you have two ways to see these specific data:

• Entering your complete email in the search engine of the main list menu, in Newsletters > Lists

• You will be able to see which list or lists it is included in and, if you click on their email, you will be able to see the behavior it has had with the campaigns received (if they clicked on an X campaign, if they have not opened a campaign Y...)

You can also search for a specific subscriber in the list, in this case you do not need to enter the specific subscriber's email, it only includes a part, such as a domain @ example.com. To search for it, click on the list, go to the Subscribers tab, and put your email or a part in the search engine. By clicking on your email, you will access the history of the campaigns you have received.

If you want to change the subscriber's data or download the history of campaigns they have received, click on the ellipsis button when selecting it and click on Edit or Generate details file.

How to move a subscriber from one list to another

You can move a specific subscriber from a list by following these steps:

• Go to the specific list you are on
• Go to the Subscribers tab
• Search for the subscriber in the search bar or by status

• Select the specific subscriber by checking the box to their left
• In the drop-down menu resulting from Select an action select Move the selected ones and then select the list of your choice

How to remove a subscriber from a list

To remove a specific subscriber from a list (simply not appearing on the list, it is not the same as unsubscribing ), you have two ways to do it:

• From the main Lists menu within Newsletters , double click on the specific list in which the subscriber is located
• Once inside, go to the Subscribers tab
• Search for the subscriber in the search bar or by status

• Select the specific subscriber by checking the box to their left
• In the drop-down menu resulting from Select an action click on Delete selected

How to unsubscribe a subscriber

When you unsubscribe a subscriber, they go from being an active subscriber (who can receive your emails) to an inactive one (who is still present on the list, is not deleted, but will no longer receive your emails). It is important that you bear in mind that unsubscribes are global to all lists, that is, when a subscriber is marked as unsubscribed from a list, they will automatically be unsubscribed from all lists in which they are included.

To unsubscribe a specific subscriber from a list, you have two ways to do it:

• From the main Lists menu within Newsletters , double click on the specific list in which the subscriber is located
• Once inside, go to the Subscribers tab
• Search for the subscriber in the search bar or by status

• Select the specific subscriber by checking the box to their left
• In the drop-down menu resulting from Select an action click on Unsubscribe selected

Excluded list or blacklist: how to unlist an entire list

We recently included the option to unsubscribe from one to all subscribers in a particular list. This option is especially useful if we want to make sure that we are not sending subscribers to that list under any circumstances, since the casualties are global to all lists.

To unsubscribe an entire list, go to the main list menu, then double-click on the ellipsis button to the right of the list you want to be an excluded list.

Some considerations about this feature:

1. This process is irreversible,once you unsubscribe all subscribers included in this list, they will remain as low.
2. Because the unsubscribes are global to all lists, if you imported a subscriber included in the excluded list into a subscriber list, the subscriber would automatically appear as off. This way, you make sure you won't accidentally send emails to excluded emails.
3. You can only have one list of excluded for each Acumbamail account.
4. This option is especially useful if you have a list of cancellations from another email marketing platform and you want Acumbamail to also record these cancellations and thus ensure that these cancellations will no longer receive your shipments to comply with the GDPR.

List settings

If you want to update the general data of your list once you have created it, you can do so at any time by selecting the list you want to modify from the main list menu, clicking on the ellipsis button and selecting Settings.

In this part you can change the name of the list in Acumbamail, the public name of the list (which your subscriber will be able to see when it is enlisted in the list or wants to modify data), the default sender of that list and the language. You can also add other data such as company, address, or phone.





Unify lists

You can merge two or more lists into one. Before you begin the process, keep these considerations in mind:

• The process is irreversible. Once you merge the lists, you will not be able to go back.
• The list(s) will automatically be unified into the largest list.


To merge two or more lists into one, follow these steps:

• Go to the main Lists menu within the Newsletters section

• Select the lists you want to merge by checking the boxes to the left of each one

• On the right side, open the Select an action drop-down menu and click on Join lists

Duplicate lists

You can easily duplicate a list from the main list menu within Newsletters.

Once inside, click on the ellipsis button to the right of the list you want to duplicate and select Duplicate list from the drop-down menu.





Once you select this option, the process may take several minutes depending on the volume in the list. Select the name for the duplicate list and click OK when the pop-up window skips. The duplicate list will appear in the list menu in a couple of

Remove repeating subscribers on different lists

We've recently added the option to be able to directly remove subscribers who are repeat on different lists. This function is especially useful if you have contracted a plan by number of subscribers with unlimited shipments, since in this plan count the total subscribers and not the only ones.

To remove repeat subscribers, simply go to the main list menu, select two maximum lists by clicking on their boxes, and then in the drop-down menu of Select an action click on Delete repeated subscribers.





Some considerations to consider about this feature:

• Once you select the two lists where you want to check the repeated ones, you will be able to see the number of repeats and select in which list the subscribers will stay from among the lists you have selected before confirming the action.
• Once you confirm the action, the process cannot be undone, that repeat will be removed from the list or lists that you have not selected. However, you can always re-import it if you need it.

Customize notifications for a list

In Acumbamail we have incorporated a new system so that you can customize the emails and pages that are shown to your subscribers in the subscription and cancellation process.

To do this you must go to the main page of Lists and select the list on which you have created the registration forms. Once there, you can access the different customization options through the Notifications section.







Customize global values

You can change the common aspects that will be shown in the confirmation email and the confirmation and unsubscribe pages, through the "General settings" option.

You can make changes regarding the logo, colors of the texts, content or background as well as modify the appearance of the buttons.




Customize Confirmation Email

To modify the confirmation email you must continue scrolling in the section to the "Confirmation email" option, you can enable and disable this option whenever necessary, from this section.







In it you will be shown the available options to customize with your information, you can make the changes you need. To see how they will be shown to your subscribers, press the "Preview" button will open a pop up so you can check the appearance.





Don't forget to save your changes by clicking update once you're done.


Customize Confirmation Page

To modify the confirmation page you must continue scrolling in the section to the "Confirmation page" section. you can make the changes you need. In this case you have two options:

- Link: You can direct your subscribers to your own confirmation page, you can add your own url in this section, unicmanete you must verify the domain, to confirm that it is your property.

- Custom fields: You can customize your own message through the custom fields, adapting the page to your needs.







Don't forget to save your changes once you're done.


Customize Unsubscribe Page

To modify the unsubscribe page you must scroll to the last section of this section, you will find the " Unsubscribe Page" Once in it, the customizable options will be shown such as: title, description, button text and show the reasons for cancellation, clicking on them you can make the changes you need. Within the "Description" section you can insert the text

If you have unsubscribed by mistake click here

This will allow your subscribers to re-register in case they have unsubscribed by mistake.







Don't forget to save your changes once you're done, by clicking "Update"

For practical tips on how to manage your email marketing lists, you can consult our specific guide.